Görel Hansebo Senior lecturer and head of department, Ersta Sköndal University College, Stockholm

Lena Törnkvist Manager, Centre for Family and Community Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

Aim To evaluate a new supervision model for nursing students’ placements in primary care in Sweden and to document students’ opinions on their learning experiences in this setting.

Method Nursing students’ (n=238) opinions were collected using a questionnaire administered before and after implementation of a new supervision model for student placements in primary care.

Results Respondents were generally satisfied with their placements and rated factors that supported the new model: distinct structure for following students during the placement period; continuous caring experiences with some patients; having more than one district nurse as a mentor during the period; and seminars in primary care settings. However, just one third of respondents felt that they gained insight into how nursing research could be used in patient care.

Conclusion The evaluation of the new supervision model and learning opportunities in primary care were positively rated by respondents. Application of nursing research and planned time for reflection were ranked low, findings that are noteworthy and should be investigated further.